Meet the candidates for Richland County Council District 6
Democrat Bryan Boroughs and Republican Don Weaver are seeking the District 6 seat on Richland County Council in Tuesday’s election.
The winner will replace Joe Walker, who did not seek reelection. The district is in the west-central section of Richland County and includes most of Forest Acres, neibhborhoods near the Veterans Hospital and South Beltline Boulevard.
The winner will serve a four-year term on the 11-member council.
Bryan Boroughs
Age
42
Occupation
Chief operating officer and general counsel, Institute for Child Success
Education
Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Furman University; Law Degree and Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University
Political or civic experience
While studying at Georgetown, I worked as a law clerk at both the Government Accountability Project and the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. After school, I worked as an investigative counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. While there, I investigated widespread fraud in the for-profit higher education sector, egregious price gouging for shortage cancer-drugs, and serious weaknesses in the regulation of sterile compounded pharmaceuticals. Our family moved back home to South Carolina in 2013 and I joined the Institute for Child Success, where I serve as the chief operating officer and general counsel. At ICS, we partner with local and state governments across the country to help them improve outcomes for young children.
Campaign website
http://www.BoroughsForRichland.com
Why are you running for Richland County Council?
I’ve spent a lot of my career working with local governments — school districts and cities and counties — and I have always been impressed by their power to improve the quality of life for the community. So, when District 6’s councilman announced he was not running for re-election, I wanted to make sure that his successor would build up Richland County in a way that works for all its families.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year on the county council?
“My past work has taught me a lot about community problem-solving — and what I’ve learned most clearly is to listen more than I talk, and problems are solved at the speed of trust. And when listening to families in the district, they are saying some consistent things:
1) We need to prioritize public safety and improve our public spaces;
2) We need to tackle the homelessness and mental health crises in the community; and
3) We need to continue rebuilding the trust gap between people and the council.
I’ve seen other communities tackle these same challenges and know they are achievable here at home, if we work together with intentionality, and that’s what I want to do with Richland County Council.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to the county council?
I’ve always been interested in how systems work, and how they can work better, which is why I pursued degrees in psychology and law and public policy. That led to a career learning from communities about how to creatively and effectively tackle really tough problems — from homelessness to recidivism to early childhood and maternal health. My career has also given me experience with budgets large and small, projects that help communities in ways simple and complex, and most importantly has taught me that these things at the speed of trust. I want to bring that mindset and that experience to bear here, improving the quality of life for Richland County.
What current practice policy of Richland County government would you preserve or enhance? Why?
Since 2019, the county has been working to turn around a reputation for dysfunction. They’ve started practices like publishing monthly (and lengthy) reports on the penny tax, removing council members’ access to county credit cards, and holding officials accountable for past misuse of power. Those are good developments and we have a lot more work to do in that spirit, as shown most recently by the challenges deploying an effective hiring process for senior leadership at the county jail. Structural transparency goes a long way towards delivering better results, and the council should keep pushing forward on transparency.
The Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center has faced multiple challenges during the last year or so, including a riot, staff shortages, and an inmate death that the coroner has ruled a homicide. What, if anything, should be done to improve conditions there?
“This is a two-front challenge. First, of course, the jail needs the leadership and the resources to operate effectively, and council is responsible for ensuring it has those tools.
As hard as that is to accomplish, though, fixing the jail’s operations is just a Band-Aid. By the time someone commits a crime, we’ve already missed our best opportunities to improve public safety. Evidence-based interventions like Operation Ceasefire are underway in parts of Richland, and they require strong partnerships between law enforcement, public health officials, and community organizations. So, the County Council also needs to:
1) ensure that law enforcement agencies have the equipment and personnel they need (they have struggled with depleted staffing levels),
2) deepen our community partnerships with the agencies that provide violence prevention community services and wrap-around supports, and
3) trust the experts, prioritizing investments in evidence-based interventions that work (like Operation Ceasefire).
Ten years ago, Richland County voters approved a penny tax for road improvements. Assess the state of the program today.
The penny tax has been challenging — especially in the early years — on two fronts: 1) early mishandling exacerbated the community’s trust gap with the county, and 2) we squandered great opportunities to improve the county’s infrastructure.
Rebuilding trust is the most important task for the Council, and it takes competence and transparency – every day – consistently over time.
Following the penny tax’s lawsuit, the county made several changes that began resolving these issues. They brought the program back in house and away from a very problematic management company, began publishing detailed monthly progress reports, and fixed the sprawling scope of the project. Each of those steps is important, and the Council should continue pushing those forward with consistency.
Don Weaver
Age
59
Occupation
Realtor/property manager
Education
University of South Carolina with a B.A. in History (1987), South Carolina Real Estate Broker’s License (1990)
Political or civic experience
Columbia Council of Neighborhoods (1987-1988). Named to the Committee on the Future of Richland County (1995). Greater Columbia Association of Realtors Million Dollar Club (1989-2000, 2001, 2004 ). Re/Max Hall of Fame (2000). Appointed by the S.C. Legislature to the Tax Realignment Commission to study the S.C. tax code, with specific emphasis on sales tax exemptions (2010). Current president of the South Carolina Taxpayers Association
Campaign website
donweaverforcouncil.com
Why are you running for Richland County Council?
With the election of our new mayor, Daniel Rickenmann, there is a lot of positive momentum in our community. As a businessman, I believe it is important to have someone on county council who has first-hand experience with budgets and spending. I also think it is important to have someone on county council who will ask the tough questions and bring solutions to the table.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year on the county council?
Transparency and accountability in government is my first priority, especially when it comes to the penny sales tax. My constituents deserve to know exactly what projects are on hold and why. They also deserve transparency in all county issues. For example, they deserve to know why a county jail director was hired with a past history of sexual misconduct. Through transparency and accountability, I will work hard to support and retain our hardworking county employees across all agencies. Working alongside Richland County school boards is also a top priority of mine. I will work to ensure more tax dollars are spent in the classroom. Finally, we have serious crime and gun violence which plagues Richland County. I will defend and support our police department and first responders. When it comes to our law enforcement, I will vote to ensure Sheriff Lott has the resources and personnel he needs to keep our families and communities safe.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to the county council?
Richland County has been my home for over 35 years. This is where I went to college, where I started my business, and where my wife, Wanda, and I have raised our two children. I care about Richland County, and I am ready to go to work to continue to make it even better.
As a small business owner, I know, first hand, what it means to retain employees and meet a budget. Transparency and accountability are paramount in my own business practice, and I will bring these attributes and more to county council if elected.
What current practice or policy of Richland County government would you preserve or enhance? Why?
Early this year, a woman held a knife to a Richland County Courthouse employee’s neck after she was able to pass through security and a metal detector with the weapon. This is unacceptable. I would work to enhance safety both at the courthouse and in all government buildings so that county employees feel safe at work.
The Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center has faced multiple challenges during the last year or so, including a riot, staff shortages, and an inmate death that the coroner has ruled a homicide. What, if anything, should be done to improve conditions there?
Hiring an expert independent consultant from outside of Richland County to assess our current situation would be my suggestion. An outside expert would provide a wealth of information on best practices as well as ways to attract and retain good employees.
Ten years ago, Richland County voters approved a penny tax for road improvements. Assess the state of the program today.
While there have been many visible improvements, a lot of programs seem to be on hold with no explanation. I think the county needs to do a better job of communicating with the taxpayers exactly where the money is going, what specifically has been accomplished, and a timeline for what is left to be done. It could be as simple as an annual update added to the property tax mailer.
